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Friday, December 28, 2018

When I moved to Oceanside from LA in 2004, there really wasn't much if any vegan food around. Now you can find a vegan option in nearly every restaurant up and down the coast! This gives me hope that the future is indeed vegan.

I'd thought I'd wrap up the year with a vegan food post of what we ate out near our home in North County San Diego including Oceanside, Vista, Encinitas, and Carlsbad as well as including the kid-friendly-ness factor of each.

Some of the places are all vegan and some are vegan-friendly, we will note that as well. Hope you enjoy our North County vegan food and restaurant list. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!Veggie Grill - Carlsbad, CA

Far East Bowl - delicious but SPICY

I figured I'd start with one of the first fast casual food places in the area. Veggie Grill has popped up all over Southern California serving their own burgers, Beyond Burgers and sausages, buffalo "chicken" sandwiches, Buddha bowls other hand-helds, snacks and seasonal food. The kids are always happy with the nuggets or mac and cheese and as you probably guessed, it is a great kid-friendly vegan place... They are right outside of LEGOLAND by the way.

They also sell a limited selection of wine an beer as well as their own fountain drinks and lemonade. They don't have much besides cookies for dessert.

Grilled Quinoa + Veg Burger - nice tasty little handmade burger

This was one of their seasonal dishes with their vegan fried chicken - super tasty!

Since we are already in Carlsbad, I figured I'd mention Pie-ology, especially if you have kids! They have a vegan crust option and carry vegan cheese, which seemed to be Daiya. It is not the best, but it hits the spot if you don't want to end up with a cheese-less pizza in this neck of the woods. Good news is, there is beer which I'm hopeful that they have one that checks out safely on Barnivore.com

Not a vegan restaurant, but they DO offer this lovely vegan cheese board as well as a hummus plate and a beet burger on the menu as well as vegan specials. I started hearing about the homemade cheese board in my vegan group and we checked it out one afternoon.

When we were there they had just finished offering a special 4 course vegan meal and they said they had the chocolate cake left. It may be worth calling first and checking out what they have available for your date night but this was perfect to be able to have delicious vegan plates on the menu when we popped in for a snack and drink near the beach in the afternoon.

Kids would be fine in this open, bar-like atmosphere but the limited options may be sophisticated for them. Great place to go with a group go when they have a vegan 4 course all ready to go, we would have to check to see what alcohol checks out on Barnivore.com but you are guaranteed to find something to drink here with the full bar and all.

This Thai restaurant is close to the beach which is may be why we always seem to end up here after volunteering with our local Anonymous for the Voiceless doing a Cube of Truth. Although it is not a vegan restaurant, most of the dishes can be made vegan by swapping out for tofu or the mock duck.

Pad See Ew with tofu

I've been there at least 1/2 dozen times in the last year with my friends from Anonymous for the Voiceless and I now need to just bring to go containers because my husband always wants a to go order and I want leftovers too! Everything is delicious!

My favorites are the Massaman and the Island Curries. We like some of their fried appetizers, the Pad Thai, Pad See Ew and they have vegan ice cream! Our kids love this place, just stay away from spicy stuff and ask which fried foods are vegan as there are some rolls and such.

They also serve wine and beer.

Vegetable Fried rice - no egg

Curry (no sure which but has peas and mock duck...) - all curries are delicious - just add your vegan protein choice and spice level and confirm that that it is vegan.

If you are a local or going to be rolling through the area on a Saturday morning, you can score yourself some potato tacos, or a Buddha Bowl , and last time we were there, Peace Pies, the vegan restaurant in Encinitas was selling their food as well.

Not to mention all the fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, and other naturally vegan foods, juices, and snacks you can find at the Vista Farmer's Market.

Every Thursday night, Oceanside throws a street party and it is a great place to get your vegan food. Not only do many of the vendors have vegan options but El Veganito is an all vegan booth that has some tasty eats.

This is the only place I know of around to get a variety of vegan baked goods that are this delicious.

El Veganito has vegan Mexican food but they also have sandwiches and a tasty reuben!

More from El Veganito

Rueben with potatoes at El Veganito

A sampling of some of the tasty treats we found that were vegan.

Oceanside Sunset Market

Every Thursday 5:00pm - 9:00pm

701 Mission Ave

Oceanside, CA 92054

Plant Power - Encinitas , CA

Not only did we finally get our vegan fast food drive through up here in North County, but Plant Power fully came through with all-around amazing eats like their Voodoo fries, chili cheese, their Big Zac, a buffalo burger and other hand helds. The greatist thing of all could be their incredible milkshakes.

They offer both a Beyond burger and a black bean as well as nuggets for kids which also looks (and tastes?!) strikingly similar to a McNugget. Kids love this place, especially the milkshakes!

No wine and beer but make sure the grown ups get milkshakes too or you'll regret it. They go fast!

Way more than just a brewery with a grill, this place actually has several or more vegan options. There are two pizzas on the menu which are vegan, and they are both pretty tasty.

They also have the Impossible burger vegan corn dogs - which are spicy, so for the kiddos, they have vegan grilled cheese, mac n cheese, and of course fries. You will find the grilled cheese under SOUP on their menu but you can order it without the soup.

This place is VERY kid friendly as are most of the breweries in our area. We like to sit in the courtyard where there's plenty of room to move around.

I've been told that all their beer is vegan but they have a lot of different beers from other breweries, too, I think, so always check, as well as wine and cocktails.

The Whet Noodle is what they call an un-traditional ramen house and is very vegan friendly. It is actually attached to the also vegan-friendly Wrench and Rodent but is their more casual counter service restaurant with indoor seating that's nice enough for a date night and also has a bar.

We like to bring the kids some kind of entertainment to keep it low-key but there is even a more casual outdoor picnic table area which I've always wanted to take over with kids and their friends... when it gets warmer out, maybe!

There is beer, wine, and sake on the menu but as a non-vegan establishment you'll have to check out each.

I'm a big fan of raw food and Peace Pies is a safe all raw vegan restaurant featuring quesadillas, lasagna, milkshakes, smoothies, wraps, tacos, and of course... you guessed it! Pie! This is one of those places that you can eat all you want, take some to go and it is ALL healthy. Love this place, it is super casual and laid back, but haven't brought my two picky eater kids here yet. You will not find nuggets and fries on the menu.

Loving Lasagna was really fresh and tasty too.

Mystical Mushroom Quesadilla with walnut meat and their kale chips. Very tasty and plenty left to take home for later on.

Loving Lasagna was really fresh and yummy too.

Can't remember which this pie was but we had a few and they are all tasty!

Known for its Buddha Bowls, they also serve flatbreads, smoothies, burritos, kombucha - lots of plant-based goodness going on here. It was definitely a tough choice to figure out what to try on the menu and we liked everything. I want to go back and try more! Love that they have outdoor sidewalk seating and it is fine for the kiddos as it is a casual relaxed atmosphere.

We had been banging down the doors at Milk, in Vista and to no avail when my husband happened upon this place. They only sell the vegan donuts on the weekend and it is one type of cake, which is pink and cute and they can be either plain, chocolate, or maple glazed. They also got vegan sprinkles after he asked. The kiddos love them and so do we. They also make a great bring for a pot luck, party or if the kids are invited to another Birthday where there won't be anything sweet for the vegans so support this place and vegan donuts for everybody!!!

Danny's Donuts
102 Eucalyptus Ave, Vista, CA 92084
(760) 724-4637

Frazier Farms - Oceanside, Vista, CA

I thought I'd include this place because this is where we get our vegan cupcakes and Birthday cakes here in North County. They make them to order and usually stock the cupcakes in single serve containers too. These are great to grab when your vegan kid has to go to a Birthday party.

Here is our list of places to try in the new year:

The Far West Lounge - Encinitas, CA

This brewery serves vegan snacks and food. I can't believe we haven't made it down there, yet, but I wanted to include it on this list because I've heard such great things!

I thought I'd include the only OC restaurant we went to this year for a date night out in Fountain Valley as a little bonus for my food guide since it isn't too out of the way, especially if you are coastal or in Oside and you really want to impress somebody with all vegan food. The chef has put a plant based spin on traditional Vietnamese dishes. They have both raw and cooked foods on their menu, we tried their sweet and sour chicken and kung pao chicken which were both delicious as well as their raw Madaleine Flax crackers with vegan macadamia cheese. The only downside to this place is that they do not serve alcohol but their tea and refreshment menu is pretty amazing. This place would be best for the well behaved children.

Please feel free to comment below if you've tried any of these places and your thoughts, especially items that are or aren't vegan, etc. or if there are any that we missed or any NEW ones we should try!

More Places to Visit for Vegan Food in North County San Diego coming in a blog post soon: